What Does The Future Of Airline Travel Look Like 84 Years From Now?

5/02/2009 – What Does The Future Of Airline Travel Look Like 84 Years From Now?

One-hundred-and-six years ago when the Wright Brothers first took to the air in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, no one would have imagined where flight would have taken us.

Looking at the massive changes in flight over the past 100+ years the first flyers would have never imaged seeing the Lockheed L-1049G (Super Constellation) flying through the air. The thought of the Concorde would have seemed like science fiction and the regular sight of the Boeing 747 taking to the skies 40 years ago would have seemed impossible.

The length of time the legendary B-52 has been flying is approximately half as long as airplanes have taken to the skies. The B-52 first flew on the 15th of April 1952, and has flown continuously for the past 57 years. The most common current variant of the B-52 flying today, the B-52H, entered service on the 9th of May 1961. In fact the B-52 is not scheduled to be retired from service until 2040!

As the advancements in aviation continue to move forward, and aircraft that were unimaginable to envision flying 10 years ago, such as the massive Airbus A380-800, some are daring to look much further into the future.

Traditionally airlines and aircraft manufacturers have not looked that far into the future. Breaking from tradition, with more than a century of aviation behind us, Finnair and Airbus teamed up to create an ambitious project to look 84 years into the future.

What will aircraft manufacturers be producing in 84 years? Will we be flying ‘green’ airliners? Will we be flying within the Earth’s atmosphere or traveling out of the atmosphere to get from point-to-point faster?

There are so many fantastic options to explore, and both Finnair and Airbus explore them.

If you enjoy the potential of science, or just want a glimpse into the future, I suggest visiting Finnair’s Departure 2093 Project. On the Departure 2093 Project web site you can view a ‘future fleet’ find out more about how the business and industry may change and the ecological impacts of zero-emission aircraft.

So kick back, try and think like Jules Verne (if you don’t know who he is, I may suggest rethinking your high school literature class) and explore the future of commercial airline travel 84 years in the future.

About Me

Fish has been covering aviation and transportation security issues since September 15, 2001, after walking away from Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan following four days of documenting the worst aviation security disaster in history.

Having spent more than a decade-and-a-half as a full-time photojournalist, Fish now divides his time between building social media and social commerce strategies and solutions for global travel brands, along with researching aviation and transportation security.

Growing up at the end up New York's JFK International Airport's Runway 4R/22L probably explains Fish’s enjoyment of watching planes fly overhead. When not working or shooting photos, Fish can be found playing with (and cleaning up after) his three kids, chasing his dogs, standing in the kitchen cooking, monitoring radios public safety and federal radios and of course cheering for the Red Sox.

You can find Fish on Twitter at @flyingwithfish …and … join Fish every Thursday at 3:30pm EST as he hosts the weekly #TNI #Travel Chat on Twitter.